Edward John David Redmayne ( ; born 6 January 1982) is an English actor. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Olivier Awards.
Redmayne began his professional acting career on television and in theatre. He starred as Viola in Twelfth Night at Shakespeare's Globe, before transitioning to the West End with starring roles in productions such as The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (2004), Red (2009–2010), and Richard II (2011–2012); He received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and later the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performances in the West End and Broadway productions of Red. For his performances as The Emcee in the West End and Broadway revivals of Cabaret (2021–2022; 2024), he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical and earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
Redmayne achieved wider recognition for his portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2014), which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received a second Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl (2015) and subsequently starred as Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts film series (2016–2022). His other film credits include My Week with Marilyn (2011), Les Misérables (2012), Jupiter Ascending (2015), Early Man (2018), The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), and The Good Nurse (2022). On television, he starred in the miniseries The Pillars of the Earth (2010) and Birdsong (2012), and has portrayed the Jackal in the spy thriller The Day of the Jackal (2024–present).
Edward John David Redmayne was born on 6 January 1982 in Westminster, London. His mother, Patricia (née Burke), runs a relocation business, and his father, Richard Redmayne, is a businessman in corporate finance. His paternal great-grandfather was Sir Richard Redmayne (1865–1955), a civil and mining engineer, and a leading figure in improving mine safety in the early twentieth century. Sir Richard also led an enquiry into an experiment by the chain Boots to reduce the working week, allowing workers to have a 48-hour weekend, which found that the workers were happier, had better health, and were less likely to be absent, and advocated its adoption across wider industry.
He has an elder brother, cricketer James Redmayne, a younger brother, and an elder half-brother, Charlie Redmayne, who is the former CEO of the UK division of publisher HarperCollins, and a half-sister.
From the age of 10, Redmayne attended Jackie Palmer Stage School, where he found his love for acting and singing. After a spell at Eaton House, he won a music scholarship to Colet Court (now St Paul's Prep School), where he sang with the St Paul's Choir. He then won a music scholarship to Eton College, where he was in the same year as Prince William.
He received a choral scholarship to attend the University of Cambridge, where he read History of Art at Trinity College, specialising in Venetian architecture and surrealism, and graduated with 2:1 Honours in 2003. He wrote his theses on Brâncuși and Yves Klein; although colour blind, he wrote the final thesis on International Klein Blue (IKB), which he has described as being highly emotional, and which he can always distinguish from others. While at Cambridge, Redmayne was a member of the University Pitt Club.
Redmayne made his professional stage debut as Viola in Twelfth Night, for Shakespeare's Globe at the Middle Temple Hall in 2002. He won the award for Outstanding Newcomer at the 50th Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2004, for his performance in Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, and the award for Best Newcomer at the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards in 2005. Reviewing a revival of the play in 2017, critic Heather Neill described the "gut-wrenching intensity of Eddie Redmayne's award-winning performance at the Almeida in 2004".
Redmayne starred in Now or Later by Christopher Shinn at the Royal Court Theatre. The show ran from 3 September to 1 November 2008. His performance received glowing reviews, with critic and playwright Nicholas de Jongh describing the performance as "riveting, suffused with the lineaments of neurosis and sadness".
In 2009, Redmayne appeared in John Logan's new play Red at the Donmar Warehouse in London, for which he won the 2010 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Reviewing the show during this London run, longstanding New York Times critic Ben Brantley described Redmayne as "a star in the making". He reprised his role in Red at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway, in a 15-week run from 11 March to 27 June 2010, and won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play.
He portrayed King Richard II in Richard II directed by Michael Grandage, at the Donmar Warehouse from 6 December 2011 to 4 February 2012. He received the Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance at the Critics Circle Theatre Awards. Matt Wolf, London theatre critic for The New York Times International Edition, described Redmayne as "tearing into the title role with an open-faced splendor that redefines the very discussion of soul that assumes such prominence in Shakespeare's luxuriantly beautiful text"
In November 2021, he returned to the stage as Emcee in a West End revival of Cabaret at the Playhouse Theatre, remodelled as the 'Kit Kat Club'. He previously played the role in a production at Eton when he was 17 years-old, and then again in a production at the Edinburgh Fringe. Redmayne successfully approached Jessie Buckley to star alongside him as Sally Bowles, as well as Rebecca Frecknall about directing the production. The revival drew rave reviews, with critic John Lahr stating that the 'scintillating show' also offered the 'rousing spectacle of the next generation's theatrical talent on the ascendant.' Lahr described Redmayne's interpretation of the Emcee as "thrilling", "a puckish portrait of violent innocence, a cross between Peter Lorre and Peter Pan", with a "chilling metamorphosis". John Nathan remarked, "Redmayne is a marvel. His Emcee — a slightly different species from the rest of the humans — is quite the most mercurial animal I have seen on stage". The revival led with seven wins at the 2022 Olivier Awards, including Best Musical Revival and Redmayne's own for Best Actor in a Musical, setting a record for being the most award-winning revival in Olivier history, as well for being the first production to obtain awards in all four eligible acting categories. In April 2024, the production transferred to the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway, where he reprised the role of the Emcee opposite Gayle Rankin as Sally Bowles. For his performance, Redmayne received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical at the 77th Tony Awards.
Redmayne made his screen debut in 1998 in an episode of Animal Ark. His television credits include the BBC miniseries Tess of the d'Urbervilles, the miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, and the two-part miniseries Birdsong. David Chater, who served as a correspondent in many conflict-ridden areas, described his performance as a WWI soldier in Birdsong as "mesmerising", "astonishing", "so little is visible on the surface and yet a whole universe of emotions is simmering away behind those limpid eyes."
Redmayne was cast in his first feature film Like Minds (2006) after being spotted by casting director Lucy Bevan performing in a play called Goats. Redmayne has appeared in films such as The Good Shepherd (2006), Savage Grace (2007), Powder Blue (2008), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), Glorious 39 (2009), and Hick (2011). He starred as Osmund in Christopher Smith's supernatural gothic chiller film Black Death (2010). His 2008 Sundance drama film The Yellow Handkerchief was released on 26 February 2010 by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
In 2011, Redmayne starred as filmmaker Colin Clark in the drama film My Week with Marilyn. He took on the role of Marius Pontmercy for the 2012 musical film Les Misérables.